The impact of fishing industries on whale populations

For decades, the vast and mysterious presence of whales has captivated both scientists and the public alike. These marine giants serve vital ecological functions, from regulating food webs to contributing to the global carbon cycle. Yet in the last century, the pressures exerted by industrial-scale fishing have brought their survival into question. As demand for seafood rises, concerns grow over the consequences this industry may have on the health of whale populations worldwide.

While fishing is crucial for global food security and coastal livelihoods, its side effects are increasingly hard to ignore. One particularly serious issue is whale bycatch, the accidental capture of whales in fishing gear. Combined with overlapping marine traffic and habitat disruption, these pressures raise urgent questions about how to balance marine resource use with conservation. Despite growing awareness, the scale and impact of these interactions remain difficult to quantify.

To shed light on this issue, we analyzed data from multiple marine datasets covering whale bycatch, whale and ship activity, and fishing activity across several regions and years. Our goal was to understand the scale and geography of interactions between whales and industrial fisheries. In doing so, we aimed to identify which whale species are most exposed, which regions pose the highest risk, if the problem has gotten somewhat better over the years, and how data-driven policy could help protect marine life while supporting sustainable fishing practices.

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To assess the dangers that whales have to deal with, we first have to see if this problem is actually as big as it is implied to be. To tell if it is, we used the IUCN Red List of threatened species, to give us an idea of how endangered every single species of whale actually is, this is visualized in the graph below:

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This graph reveals a mixed picture. Encouragingly, the majority of whale species fall under the “Least Concern” category, with over 45 species classified as having relatively stable populations. However, this should not obscure the serious challenges facing many others. At least 11 species are classified as Endangered, and 4 species as Critically Endangered, placing them at immediate risk of extinction. An additional 6 species are Vulnerable, meaning they are on a downward trend and could soon face more serious threats.

These classifications matter in part because species listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered are often the same ones that have limited ranges, narrow feeding grounds, or specific migratory routes—exactly the traits that make them more likely to interact with industrial fishing and shipping. For example, the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered large whale species, has a migratory path that overlaps heavily with high-traffic shipping corridors and fishing zones in the western Atlantic.

Taken together, this data shows that while some whale species are doing relatively well, a significant number face immediate or emerging threats. And with many species lacking sufficient data, the true extent of the crisis may be underrepresented.